In a daylight robbery at the city's commercial hub T. Nagar, armed persons robbed Rs.81.2 lakh cash from employees of cloth store Pothys on Saturday.
According to police sources, the incident occurred when three employees, including a car driver, were taking the cash to a bank located on Mahalakshmi Street in T. Nagar around noon.
The suspects who came in two motorcycles attacked the car with clubs and snatched the cash bags.
After seeing the accused persons holding ‘aruvals', car driver Padmanabhan (21) and accountants Mohammed Ali (35) and Sahul Hameed (24) fled the scene. The suspects, aged in the mid-twenties, escaped in motorcycles.
Police recovered an ‘aruval' from the scene of crime.
“It was routine for the Pothys staff to remit cash in the bank. Being a Saturday, they started a couple of hours ahead of the usual schedule. The suspects were waiting for the car on Mahalakshmi Street. Connivance of some employees or former employees cannot be ruled out. We have formed ten special teams to investigate the case,” Joint Commissioner of Police (South) P. Sakthivelu told The Hindu .
The suspects chose a less-inhabited place to commit the offence. “Mahalakshmi Street is well within our surveillance area, where patrol teams often visit. This appears to be a well-planned robbery and the suspects knew the topography and escape routes. Forensic experts have lifted some fingerprints from the car,” he said.
